The Marshall Fire –
A bullet train of destruction
In Colorado
I wept as I watched
My students’ houses burn
On the TV news
Fifty families in my school –
Five students in my class alone –
Lost their homes in the fire
Returning to school
Just days after the fire
We were shell-shocked
Joe and Jill Biden
Walked my town after the fire
They hugged my students
We all did our piece
To uplift those who lost their homes
One day at a time
It was hard to know
What to say to those
Who lost everything
Community rallied
To embrace those
Who lost everything
I painted for months
So those who lost
Could have art again
We learned
Together
That art heals
We are still
Eighteen months later
Filling holes of loss
The prospect…
Rebuilding 1,000 homes
1,000 lives
The wildfires
This summer have triggered it
Anew
The rest of our lives
We will live with
This reality
Side-by-side
The indomitable
Phoenix-strong among us
